PEP GUARDIOLA may have lost Leroy Sane and pulled out of a deal for Riyhad Mahrez but it made no difference to Manchester City’s remorseless pursuit of the Premier League title.

With neighbours United losing at Tottenham, City stretched their lead to 15 points with 13 games left with a one-sided win over hapless West Brom.

Strikes from Fernandinho, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero brought up the century of goals in all competitions – they now have 101 – but the demanding Guardiola wanted more.

He said: “I’m so happy because it was one of our best performance sof the season but in knock-out game sin the fA Cup or Champions League we need to be more clinical or we could be in trouble. It was a joy to watch them but we miss a lot of chances.It could have been seven or eight.”

Guardiola was also not happy again with some of the tackles that his players were subjected to. After Sane was ruled out for two months following Joe Benett’s X-rated lunge at Cardiff on Sunday, Brahim Diaz was lucky not to escape serious injury from Matt Phillips’ thigh-high assault late in the game which warranted the Albion player only a yellow card.

Guardiola was clearly furious about the challenge and had heated conversation with the fourth official. Kevin Friend.

How Manchester City could line up after deadline day

Wed, January 31, 2018

How could Manchester City line up after the January transfer deadline?

How could Manchester City line up after the January transfer deadline?

He added: “The images [pictures] speak for themselves. It’s not necessary. We were lucky Brahim was not injured. But we have to accept it.”

City were guilty of some of the dark arts as well. Fernandinho may face retrospective action for planting his foot onto the thigh of the prone Grzegorz Krychowiak in the first half.

Guardiola was philosophical about missing out on Mahrez. “He’s a Leicester player so I can’t talk about him. The window is over now so we will finish the season with the players we have and I have no doubts about them.”

Injury-hit Albion stay three points adrift at the bottom and on a night when they won only one corner and had one attempt on goal.

Boss Alan Pardew said: “It was a very tough night.Because of the injuries, we had one or two players who were a bit match rusty and they found it hard to get to the pace of thegame and we struggled to keep possession. We never knocked the wind out of City’s sails and they kept coming and coming. They were terrific.”

The majestic De Bruyne could easily have had five goals himself.

REUTERS

Fernandinho scores for City

He missed a hat-trick of chances in the first half, then scored City’s second, before an audacious attempt from just inside the Albion half was tipped over by the over-worked Ben Foster.

Albion arrived in good spirits after their surprise FA cup win at Anfield but any pre-match optimism didn’t last long with City taking an early grip on the game.

The only surprise was that it took them 19 minutes to take the lead through the unlikely figure of Fernandinho.

The defensive midfielder doesn’t get many but he clearly likes playing Albion – the Brazilian’s last goal had come in the 3-2 win at the Hawthorns in October.

But he showed a striker’s eye for goal as he raced onto a trademark through pass from De Bruyne that caught Gareth McAuley napping. Fernandinho got goal side of the Albion defender and as Foster came off his line turned a first time left foot shot into the net for his third goal of the season.

City had to wait until the 69th minute when De Bruyne finished off a trademark counter attack, tapping home after Raheem Sterling had turned the ball back into his path.

Aguero added the third in the 89th minute, chipping a shot over Foster, from sTerling’s through ball.

That came a minute after new boy Daniel Sturridge fired into the sidenetting from Albion’s only attempt.